I really don’t know what I was eating before I met Esposo. Clearly I was eating somethin’ because I’m not exactly a skinny girl. I know how to cook but I don’t like cooking. I just don’t. But I am so thankful for my wonderful husband because in the almost 2 years we’ve been married and the 1 year we dated, I have never had to prepare a meal. He cooks everything at home. And he serves me.

Remember that time I reviewed the Lilly Brush? I whipped it out a few days ago and it is still the coolest little tool. The sweet folks from Lilly Brush partnered up with some of my beauty bloggin’ gal pals of mine and together we’re giving away $250 to one lucky winner.

Every now and then I run into a beauty brand that I’ve never heard of. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, I get embarrassed about it.

“How have you never heard of ELLIS FAAS, B?”

“I don’t know. I just haven’t…..”

I mean, yeah…I live under a rock but when you’ve been beauty blogging, er’body expects you know er’thing. So shoot me! I haven’t heard of ELLIS FAAS and didn’t until I got a sample of this mascara in my Makeup Show Orlando Blogger Preview bag. And whoooooa…

I dun seen the light.

Price: $34 from Sephora and Sephora.com.Packaging (brush wand): 5 out of 5Overall: 5 out of 5

What It Claims: “A creamy mascara that perfectly coats, lengthens and separates each individual lash.” (source)

The Truth: I love this mascara!!

What I Loved About It: What an incredible wand! And the formula is just beautiiiiful!

What I Didn’t Like: Well, the price is pretty up there but hey, in some cases you get what you pay for. And this mascara is amazing!

Overall: I never got around to really exploring the ELLIS FAAS booth at The Makeup Show Orlando 2013 but I walked past it a few times. I am now kicking myself in the butt for it because if their mascara is this great, I can only imagine what everything else is like. I’m a drugstore lover at heart but sometimes higher end mascaras have a really different (and sometimes better) feel. This mascara just feels luxurious. And I love how simple and uncomplicated the wand is.

I’m starting to prefer the traditional mascara brushes over the plastic wands but when it comes to brushes, I don’t want them huge. This wand is perfect. It is small enough to get in those inner corners but it is large enough to coat each and every lash. I’m thinking those with smaller lids and lashes won’t have any problem with getting this mascara to really coat all of those lashes. The long handle makes it easy to really get into those lashes.

And while I really love the wand my favorite aspect about it is the wonderful formula. This non-clumping, gel-like formula of love is so easy to apply to the lashes. I found that it was also buildable so whether you wanted just 1 coat or 10 coats, chances are you won’t run into any clumps. It isn’t exactly water-resistant so I’m not sure if I would wear this if I knew I was going to the beach but for day-to-day indoor use…it’s fantastic!

I also found the mascara to be very lightweight. I applied 3 coats and still didn’t feel any heaviness to my lashes. Wow.

Bare Lashes

Lashes after 3 coats

Do I recommend it?: If you’ve got the pennies to spare, I think you’ll love this mascara. It’s just such a pleasure to use.

Am I the only loser who hasn’t heard of ELLIS FAAS? Please tell me I’m not the only one! The good news is, I’ve found an amazing mascara and I can’t wait to check out what other gorgeous thangs the brand has.

I didn’t give up dairy because I’m a vegan. I gave it up because dairy killlllls my stomach. I am of the belief that it is kind of weird that we consume something that was never intended for our bodies and even still, I will never deny the awesomeness that is cheese. Or ice cream. I don’t eat either and I’m still surviving thanks to almond, coconut, hemp and cashew milk.

I am so so thankful for these suitable alternatives that give me the chance to enjoy my favorite foods without being doubled over in pain.

But er uh…for the record, I’ve tried so many brands and there really isn’t a good substitute for cheese. Like, no. Just…no.

Yeeeeep. I am very very thankful for short hair. Just a month after I had Elle, I cut off my long locs. I expected to miss them and mourn over them but I haven’t yet. Because I am that in love with short natural hair. I’ve cut my hair many times but it has never been this short and I’m still trying to figure out what took me this long to jump on the short hurr bandwagon.

And I’d stay on that bandwagon if I could find someone to maintain my hair cut. That’s the part about short hair people don’t tell you. You have to find a good stylist or barber to maintain the look and the guy that gave me this fierce cut is now gone in the wind. And every other barber after him weren’t nearly as good. Including Esposo, who I asked to give me a hair cut.

And so I’m growing my hair out again because I’m not the type to be so heavily dependent on others to do my hair. But I will never forget the awesomeness that is short hair. And the confidence that it gave me.

Clumps of Mascara – shared the awesomeness that is Chippmunk.com and now the brand is giving away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky reader. And you can use it at Sephora.com. Woo hoo!

Gouldylox Reviews – Hands down, this is my favorite palette of the season so far.

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by My Beauty Bunny – If you love beauty and are celeb obsessed, you need to take a ”walk” with Red Carpet Roxy! Follow this Hollywood insider and you’ll get the scoop on the fashion and beauty news at the latest A-list events.

Many moons ago I had a college friend that spent the entire month of November giving thanks. Each day she would write a personal note about people, things or experiences that she was grateful for. I thought it was a fantastic idea and have decided to give it a whirl this year. Why not? I’ve got SO much to be thankful for. So in no order of importance, I’m kicking this month of thanks by expressing how thankful I am for motherhood.

When I was 24-ish my gynecologist told me that I would have a hard time conceiving. He said that my uterus was positioned funny and that I’d have a tough time getting a good ole’ egg fertilized. I believed him. Why wouldn’t I? I also freaked out. Because even though I wasn’t quite ready to have kids, I didn’t want to struggle with having them. No woman does. And I didn’t. The first time I tried getting pregnant, I got pregnant with my precious daughter.

I could write an entire book about why I’m grateful for her and to her, but I’ll keep it short. I am thankful for each and every moment that I spend watching my baby grow and learn. I write this with tears in my eyes because it seems as if it was only moments ago when she was a wrinkly newborn who slept the day away. I look at her and I want so much for her. But mostly, I want her to be happy. And I want her to know how much she’s changed my life. Her sheer existence has made me a better woman. A stronger woman.

I believe motherhood comes in many different forms and that you don’t have to give birth to a baby to be considered a mother. I am thankful for the opportunity to be Elle’s mom. I am thankful that she picked me. I am thankful for the smiles she gives me when I’m giving her bottles at 3 a.m. I am thankful for the way she pats my shoulder while I carry her on my back. I am thankful for the brief seconds of snuggles she gives me even though I know she’d rather be crawling somewhere. Being a mother is hard. So hard. It’s tiring, it’s demanding and it’s a non-stop roller coaster of many twists and turns.

But I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful for her. I am thankful for the good foster moms and the moms who have adopted babies. I am thankful for working moms who do what they have to do for their families. I am thankful for stay at home moms who hold down the fort and often put everyone’s needs before their own. I am thankful for mentoring mothers and grandmothers and teachers who mother children. I am thankful for being able to experience motherhood. And I am thankful for my sweet and precious baby.

I make up the silliest songs for you. But singing them to you always makes you feel better when you’re fussy. I’m seriously going to put together an album of the songs that I’ve made up. Including the “Wipe your face and wipe your butt” jingle and your favorite…”Don’t You Cry, Elle Belle”. Your bring out the sillies in me.

Speaking of sillies, you are hilarious! My favorite game to play with you is getting us both under the covers and then pulling back the sheets and shouting “Weeee!” You have the cutest little laugh. One time Daddy had you giggling for like 10 minutes straight. My heart was bursting.

You are well on your way to toddlerhood because now and days, you get really upset when you don’t get what you want. You don’t understand NO yet but I’m trying to find ways to help you understand what you can and can’t do without always saying NO.

Food

You still aren’t insanely in love with food but you’re definitely getting more and more interested. This month you had smoked turkey. You loved in. In fact, you really love turkey and I’m amazed at how well you feed yourself. Breast milk is about 80% of your diet. When you’re not gulping that down you’re eating peaches, scrambled eggs, gluten-free noodles, homemade spaghetti sauce, sweet potatoes and pretty much anything that we eat. You also like hummus and applesauce but only sometimes. You also drink water from a cup.

Sleeping

Mama soooooo wishes you would sleep through the night. I’m thinking one of the reasons why you don’t is because you’re still in our room. This month the plan is to move you into your own room. You never had a formal nursery because we didn’t intend on staying in this house long but things have changed and since we’re going to be here a bit longer, I think you’ll do better in your own space. We’ll see how it goes. 8 months of chronic sleep deprivation is crippling.

Your Firsts:

-You went to Disney!!! Not the parks but we explored the area.
-You stayed at your first Disney World Resort – The Grand Floridian. That makes 5 hotel rooms that you’ve crashed in. Wow!
-You said Mama!!!
-You have perfected the army crawl.
-You signed “milk”
-You went to your first makeup show.

Cool Things You Do:

-You have perfected your wave.
-You wave bye bye too!
-You know how to tap the iPad to make things change.
-You can high five on demand.

You’re getting heavier and that sometimes when I look at you I say that baby face of yours slowly start to disappear. I’m so not ready. But ready or not, huh?

Instagram Is Love

2 days agoby clumpsofmascaraI will cry the day this toddler resists naps. It really is the only calm part of my day. And can we get @lupitanyongo on the cover of at least 1 magazine every month? Por favor?

3 weeks agoby clumpsofmascaraDay 12: Favorite nail polish. Can't pick and won't pick but I LOVE, I mean loooove just about every Cirque polish that I've ever come across. But really it's @cirquecolors Trocadero that I have been in love with for months now. #nailpolish #LipstickLeague #beautyblogger

2 weeks agoby clumpsofmascara​Day 17: Favorite Blogger - I'm super behind on this but I'll try to finish the challenge out with a bang. THREE of my favorite bloggers - @byjillee b/c she is a fantastic writer has an incredible story and I look forward to reading all of her posts. She inspires me. @naturalhairrule because she has provided such a wealth of information in an industry that has lacked for so long. She's humble, helpful and is such a light. She makes me want to do better. @verysmartbros make me laugh, think and go, huhhhh? I love reading the Black man's perspective on pop culture, relationships and randomness. #blogging #beautyblogger #LipstickLeague

7 days agoby clumpsofmascaraWhen your friend sends you a pic that should took while vacationing in Bermuda. #notenvious #notjealous #nothatin #lies

2 weeks agoby clumpsofmascaraWhen it's 73 degrees outside, you use your mixer outdoors as to not wake the toddler. Because a nap is essential to everyone's sanity. Whipping up some avocado muffins. Who am I? 4 Pinterest projects in a week? Am I my Mother?

2 weeks agoby clumpsofmascaraIt's okay, girl. Marvel at what's staring back at you. You are grand. Here I am (attempting) to raise this child and in a lot of ways, she's schooling me.

3 weeks agoby clumpsofmascaraYou may be a former #naturalhair blogger if you track your daughter's hair growth and obsess over healthy hair practices. I love her thick and luscious #hair!

3 days agoby clumpsofmascaraAbout that illuminating blush stripes palette...sheer perfection! Can be used for highlighting, a blush, a bronzer and eye shadow. Lovin' this @ofracosmetics meetup! #CFLBeautyBlogger #OFRA #makeup

1 week agoby clumpsofmascaraDay 22: Beauty Quote - A crazy quote for a #beautyblogger to love but it's true for me. #Makeup is fun. It's art. It can transform and inspire. It can make you feel fierce and confident. But at the end of the day, when I remove the powders, creams, mascara and gloss, I still want to embody that fierceness. So yes @lupitanyongo . I feel you, girl. #LipstickLeague

1 week agoby clumpsofmascaraWash Day up in here today. Keeping it simple and sealing with grapeseed oil and some creams from @beemineproducts . #naturalhair

2 days agoby clumpsofmascaraTackled this today. And still have to do my hurr. Lawd. #naturalhair #hairday